Llorene

Though I know I'll miss my time here in Mexico, there are so many other things that I'm looking forward to that I can't help but do a countdown...

3 days till we get lost in the woods in Mazamitla!

6 days till Merida!

7 days till Shez arrives in Merida!

16 days till we come back to Guadalajara!

20 days till I go back to Toronto and see my family!

23 days till I host a dinner with some of my friends!

24 days till Fallon arrives to Toronto to spend Christmas with my family!

26 days till Christmas!

30 days till I cook another dinner for another group of friends!

33 days till the New Year!

(and a partridge in a pear tree... just kidding.. made me think of that song)

Recently, I have been on the phone with my mom, sister and friends -- and they have told me about the latest happenings not only at home but also in Toronto in general.

Can someone explain how in the last week of November-- it has snowed more than 15 cm in Vancouver and it's also currently bouncing around the 14 degree mark in Toronto!

Also... just to report... the weather here in Guadalajara is also freezing. Okay, maybe not so bad as Toronto-- but I tell you-- I'm cold! And I'm also sick of hearing "How can you be cold Llorene, you're Canadian!"

That may be true... but in Canada we have indoor heating as well as proper clothing. I was not prepared for this type of weather during my stay here in Mexico. I've been wearing a layer of a sweater and a jacket when I go out at nights... and also even bundling myself up with a scarf. Okay... so it may only be like 17 degrees or something... (actually at nights it can get down to 7-10 degrees)... but it's Mexico.. I really didn't expect that I would need a jacket.

This worries me a bit though... I don't know how I'll be able to cope with the cold weather that I know is itching to welcome me when I get back :)

Whatever.
I'm still wishing for a white Christmas.

Yup. I had a feast with some of my American friends yesterday. Though we didn't manage to have a turkey (a lot of complications with that), we had the next best thing I guess with a roasted chicken. Also, we had some mashed potatoes, I made some Filipino food (Chicken Apritada), some veggies, rice and also some sweets.

Good un-turkey day.

Oh by the way... I didn't forget about Canadian Thanksgiving. I actually did celebrate that too. I went to the trainee house and cooked Filipino food for them... and it was a nice get together too...

Great friends make a great thanksgiving :D

I apologize.
This post is overdue since the Agmatas came to visit about a month ago.
Oct. 21- 27 to be exact.

Anyway, I had an awesome time. I took the whole week off and my mom, dad, sister and I went everywhere.... well as far as we could go in the short time that they had here.

They got a chance to meet my house family... next to me is Linda (our host mom) and next to her is Carla... one of my hermanas! In the front are my parents and my sister... and also one of Linda's grandchildren. Awww... too bad though that my other hermana wasn't there... unfortunately Sonya couldn't join us as she was swimming with the sharks in Baja California that week. hehehe...



The weekend was spent sightseeing in Guadalajara... not to mention going to the market in Tonala.



After the sightseeing in Guadalajara... we went on a short road trip. First to the colonial charming city of Guanajuato. Here's a cool picture of us overlooking the city of Guanajuato.


Here's another pic of us in Guanajuato... in the background you can see the mountains etc. Truly spectacular. Also... it was definitely breathtaking to see the sun cast its rays on the beautiful cliffs. Gotta love Guanajuato!



Guanajuato is a mining city. The picture below is our visit to a hacienda... a mine where they used to extract gold and mostly silver. I think we went down about 70 meters into the ground. It was definitely a little scary, but a pretty cool experience.



Next... our road trip took us to Manzanillo. My sister insisted on seeing a beach while she was in Mexico... and so we took a 9 hour bus and it took us to the beaches of Manzanillo. Though she didn't manage to get any sun (since we got there in the late afternoon), we did, however, see the cool sunset over the horizon.



For more pics of our adventures... click here.

(I am Lorena.)

Interesting story: here in Mexico, most people actually call me Lorena-- and for me it's easier to introduce myself as that since it's a more common name. I think it's pretty cool... I've got my own little spanish name.

Wow I can't believe that it's already November. It's crazy to think that I have just more than a month left of Mexico. I think it started to hit me of the short time that I have left here in Mexico when I was planning out my weekends. As well, since I finish school and my internship at the end of November, I've realized that wow, time really is winding down. But as I've told a good friend during one of our 2 hr talks-- it's good that I've realized this because my eyes seem to be more open-- absorbing everything around me (kind of like when I first arrived), so that I can remember all of this. Things that I will certainly miss about living in Mexico:

* Top thing has to be the incredible people that I have met here-- Guadalajarans and other internationals--- have truly made this a great experience for me.

* The warmth of the Mexican people. I would totally have to say that my choice of countries (India and Mexico) were perfect as I had been so blessed with people who have been so hospitable and just so ultimately friendly.

* The weather! oooh how I love the weather.... It's like a perfect 20 degrees everyday here in Guadalajara. I think this is why people are so happy here. Funny story: When my parents and my sister came- my dad mentioned that he wanted to see if he can watch the World Series. My response was: What... the World Series is already on... isn't it early in the year for it? My mom exclaims: What do you mean... it's October already! (I didn't really notice since the weather here is so like the summer.)

* The Food! I will especially miss the late night tacos at the various taco stands around the city. Yum... Tacos de pastor with a side of Horchata to wash it down with.... yummmm... Oooh and also the tropical fruits, such as: papayas, mangoes, hikamas, prickly pear... oooh and of course... it needs to be eaten the Mexican way-- with chili, salt and lemon... yum!



* I will for sure miss the outings to the beach. Can you imagine... almost every other weekend, we'd go down to the coast and spend some time just chilling and relaxing under the sun. Though it's quite hot down there (definitely hotter than here in GDL), it's so nice... and it just makes me appreciate the nice temperate weather of Guadalajara as well.



* The incredible sight of nature that surrounds us. It's incredible to see that even just going to school, I can see little hills and mountains nearby. And if one goes just maybe 30 mins out of the city, the sight is just incredible. There are rolling hills, flowers and other crops that fill the earth, clouds that are shaped so uniquely floating in such a vivd blue sky.... Sorry for the long description --- but I love the scenery here.

* Travelling. Okay so I know that I've already included this, but I just have to say how much I've enjoyed travelling with my friends here. Guanajuato and Sayulita buds--- Candace, Fallon, Canek. Oooh and Michoacan too... sitting around the bonfire... how cool... and very memorable.

* The cheap things that you can buy here! For example- movies on Wed. nights are equivalent to less than $3 Canadian. As well... the various tequilas (soooo many of them), that are priced so cheaply.... You can get a big bottle of good tequila for less than $20 Cdn. Oooh and since fruits are plentiful here... you can also buy fruits for soooo cheap! As well, travelling by luxury coach buses are very affordable. (Hmm... i should start a little promotion guide about Mexico... this is starting to sound like it.)

* Days seem to be a lot longer here... and I don't mean the hours of sunlight. I mean that I seem to have a lot more time to do things here. I have been travelling, meeting new people, (of course going to school and studying too), but I have also found time to read more (I think I have read more than 6 books since I got here-- whereas I know when I'm in Toronto during the semester, I can hardly find time to pick up a book). As well, the weekends here, instead of being filled doing a whole pile of homework (as is the case during the semester), I have been enjoying getting to know the city and other parts of Mexico... as well, just going out with great friends.

* My hermanas. I love the talks, the late night peanut butter sandwich snacks, the spontaneous musical numbers etc etc....

Other things.. that I know I have probably missed right now... but I will keep adding to this list since I still have a month to go. I will keep my eyes, ears etc... all my senses open to absorb all that is around me.